Pressure dispensing valve actuator



Aug. 10, 1954 A. o. SAMUELS PRESSURE DISPENSING VALVE ACTUATOR FiledJune 16, 1950 FIG.

FIG. 3

FIG. 4

S. L 2 *m 2 W6 m m ,T a M P. Y 4B -top of the cover member.

Patented Aug. 10, 1954 PRESSURE DISPENSING VALVE ACTUATOR Abe 0.Samuels, Bridgeport, Conn., assignoly'by mesne assignments, to MarylandDevices. Inc., Baltimore, Md., a corporation of Maryland ApplicationJune 16, 1950, Serial No. 168,460

6 Claims.

erable by the application of pressure to the top of a portion of thedischarge valve which extends above the upper end of the pressure-tightcontainer. The discharge valves are normally very small, at least whencompared with the size of a normal users finger, and because of this,the force required to open the valve against the pressure of the springas well as against the pressure of the contents of the container is avery fatiguing one to assert either continuously or intermittently for along period of time. Additionally, the discharge valve, because of thecharacteristics above set forth, cannot normally be easily controlled todischarge the container contents evenly or at various uniform rates.That is, it is very difiicult to maintain the discharge valve open atany but its wide-open position.

My invention contemplates the provision of an attachment which may besecured over the discharge valve of a self-dispensing pressure-tightcontainer to remove the aspect of fatigue from the operation of thedischarge valve and which permits a fine control of the valve at anyposition between fully closed and fully opened positions. To this end,it comprises simply a cover member adapted to be removably secured tothe container over the discharge valve, and a trigger, the major portionof which is freely supported within the cover member and has one endextending through an opening in the cover member so that it may beengaged by the users finger. With the attachment in place on acontainer, the inner end of the trigger is advantageously freelysupported by an immovable part of the discharge valve or of thecontainer and extends across the top of the discharge valve. The innerend of the trigger is prevented from moving upwardly by engaging the rimof the discharge valve supporting member of the container or by being inclose proximity to the inner face of the The opening in the cover memberthrough which the other end of the trigger extends is sufficiently largeto permit movement of that end of the trigger and, when it is moveddownwardly, pressure is applied to the top of the discharge valvebecause, as stated, the inner end of the trigger cannot move upwardly.Thus, the discharge valve is opened and the contents of the containerare discharged. It is the extent to which the outer end of the triggeris depressed by the users finger which determines the extent to whichthe discharge valve is opened and thereby the rate at which thecontainer contents are discharged. The leverage provided by the triggermakes the operation of the discharge valve fairly easy, requiring lesspressure from the users finger and thereby making the operation lessfatiguing. This leverage also permits finer control of the valve.

Some means or other is provided to prevent the trigger from slidinglongitudinally in the opening in the cover when the cover is secured tothe container, this means being, most advantageously, a downwardlyextending lip punched or stamped out of the trigger to prevent slidingof the trigger by engaging the lower edge of the opening in the covermember through which the trigger extends.

Two forms of attachment, which come within the scope of my invention,will be more specifically described in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the preferred form of mynovel attachment mounted on a pressure-tight container which is providedwith a discharge valve,

Fig. 2 is an elevational view, in section, taken along line 2-2 of Fig.1,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the preferred form of trigger, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation, in section, of an attachmentincluding a modified form of trigger.

By reference to the drawings, one type of pressure-tight container withwhich the valve-actuating trigger mechanism may be suitably andadvantageously used comprises a side-wall ill, a top wall i lterminating in an upwardly extending curved flange i2, and a dischargevalve supporting member or container top I3. Member I3 is provided witha curved peripheral flange or rim hi. adapted to interengage flange 12of the container top to seal the container closed. The flange or rim Mhas an underlying portion M. A discharge valve [5 of the type disclosedand claimed in my copending application Serial No. 161,835, filed on May13, 1950, is mounted in an opening it in member l3. A portion of thisvalve extends above the container and terminates in an inturnedperipheral flange H which secures a flexible diaphragm [8 across the topof the valve and over a valve actuating member or button (notshown) bywhich the valve mechanism (not shown), contained within the valve, maybe operated. A siphon tube !9 is connected to a portion or" thedischarge valve which lies within the container and extends downwardlytoward the bottom of the container so that all the contents thereof maybe discharged. The discharge valve also includes a discharge nozzlethrough which the contents of the can are discharged when the dischargevalve is operated by depression of the flexible diaphragm l8.

My valve-actuating trigger attachment comprises a dome-shaped covermember 22 having a downwardly extending curved peripheral flange 23which fits tightly about interengaging flanges l2 and It of thecontainer to removably secure it to the container. her 2% is depressedand contains an opening 25 which is so located that nozzle 26 of thedischarge valve may discharge through it. The upper part 28 of thisdepressed portion 2a of the cover member lies close to the wall oftheupper part of the discharge valve just above the nozzle.Diametrically opposite depressed portion 24. is a second depressedportion 2? of the cover member at the upper part of which is formed anopening 28.

A trigger 38 is freely mounted within the cover member and has one end3| extending outside of the cover member through opening 28 therein,thereby being adapted to be engaged by a users finger. The inner orother end of the trigger is bifurcated to form two downwardly extendingarms 32 the lower ends of which are adapted to engage the underlyingportion it or rim i i of the container top on opposite sides ofdepressed portion 2a of the cover member. Longitudinal movement of thetrigger into the cover is prevented by a curved part 34 or the triggerbetween the main body of the trigger and finger engaging end 3i thereof.This curved portion engages the upper edge 35 of opening 28 in the covermember. To prevent removal of the trigger through the opening 23 orsubstantial longitudinal movement of the trigger in that directionwhereby the arms 32 might become disengaged from the underlying portion1 a portion 35 of the trigger is bent downwardly and is sufficientlylong to extend below the lower edge of opening 28, even when the triggeris in its uppermost position.

As will have already been surmised the trigger extends diametricallyacross the top of the discharge valve and, therefore, across flexiblediaphragm it. It is provided with a depressed portion 3'! intermediateits ends which engages diaphragm i8. Upon depression of the fingerengaging end 3! of the trigger, the trigger pivots downwardly about thevertically confined inner arms 32 thereof, depressing the valveactuating member or button (not shown) through flexible diaphragm 8 toopen the discharge valve and permit the discharge or" the containercontents through nozzle 28. Because of the leverage involved, operationof the attachment is relatively easy and non-fatiguing and therefore itis a simple matter to operate the discharge valve and any degree ofopening of the valve may be easily and readily accomplished. When thefinger engaging end of the trigger is released, the trigger is movedupwardly by the diaphragm and valveactuating member of the dischargevalve under 1 the urging of a spring (not shown) incorporated A portionof the cover memin the valve mechanism and under the pressure of thecontainer contents.

The modified form of trigger 38 disclosed in Fig. 4 is in most respectssimilar to that shown in Figs. 1-3. The main difference in it is that itis provided at its inner end with a reverse transverse bend 38 the lowerend of which engages flan e 2'! of the discharge valve and the upper endof which lies in close proximity or in engagement with the cover member.Because part 26 of the depressed portion of the cover lies in closeproximity to the wall of the discharge valve the inner end 39 of thetrigger is fairly well confined and is prevented from slipping ofi theflange of the discharge valve.

The operation of the attachment of Fig. l is the same as that of thepreferred form except that the inner end 39 of this trigger isvertically confined by the cover member rather than by rim i l ofcontainer top l3 as was the previously described form.

Either valve-actuating trigger attachment, as will be apparent from theabove description, may be inexpensively manufactured as both of itsparts, namely, the cover member and the trigger may be formed by simplestamping operations. By suitable modifications in the shape of the covermember, and if necessary in the shape of the trigger, an attachment maybe made for any type of pressure-tight container having a dischargevalve, a portion of which extends above the container and which isadapted to be operated by the application of pressure to its top.

I claim:

1. A valve-actuating trigger attachment for a pressure-tight containerprovided with a selfcontained discharge valve, the upper portion ofwhich extends above the top of the container, the discharge valve beingor a type which is opened by the application of pressure to its top anddischarges through a discharge nozzle, comprising a cover member adaptedto be removably secured to the top of the container over the dischargevalve and having an opening therein through which the nozzle maydischarge, and a trigger freely mounted within the cover member andadapted when the attachment is in place on a container to extend acrossand normally in contact with the top of the discharge valve, one end ofthe trigger extending through a second opening in the cover memberwhereby the trigger may be engaged by a users finger and moved to valveopening position, the inner end of the trigger being adapted to rest,when the attachment is secured to the top of a container, beneath animmovable rim on the top of the container and surrounding the dischargevalve, and the inner end of the trigger being prevented by said rim ofthe container top from moving a substantial distance in a verticaldirection.

2. A valve-actuating trigger attachment for a pressure-tight containerprovided with a selfcontained discharge valve the upper portion of whichextends above the top of the container, the discharge valve being of atype which is opened by the application of pressure to its top anddischarges through a discharge nozzle, comprising a cover member adaptedto be removably secured to the top of the container over the dischargevalve and having an opening therein through which the nozzle maydischarge, and a trigger freely mounted within the cover member andadapted when the attachment is in place on a container to extend acrossand normally in contact with the top of the discharge valve, one

end of the trigger extending through a second opening in the covermember whereby the trigger may be engaged by a user's finger and movedto valve opening position, the inner end of the trigger being bifurcatedand the arms of the bifurcated end lying one on either side of thedischarge nozzle and having their lower ends engageable with anunderlying portion of a rim on the top of the container.

3. A valve-actuating trigger attachment for a pressure-tight containerprovided with a selfcontained discharge valve the upper portion of whichextends above the top of the container, the discharge valve being of atype which may be opened by the application of manual pressure directlyto its top and discharges through a discharge nozzle, consisting of acover member removably securable by a tight fit to the top of thecontainer over the discharge valve and having an opening therein throughwhich the nozzle may discharge, a trigger freely supported within thecover member and adapted when the attachment is in place on a containerto extend across and normally in contact with the top of the dischargevalve and to be movable thereagainst to open the valve, one end of thetrigger extending through a second opening in the cover member wherebythe trigger may be engaged by a user's finger and moved to valve openingposition.

4. A valve-actuating trigger attachment according to claim 3 in which aportion of the trigger within the cover is bent downwardly from theremainder thereof to prevent removal of the trigger through the openingin the cover member through which said one end of the trigger extends.

5. A valve-actuating trigger attachment according to claim 3 in whichthe inner end of the trigger is adapted to rest, when the attachment issecured to the top of a container, upon a portion of the discharge valveof the container which is immovable and in which said inner end of thetrigger is prevented by the inner face thereover of the cover memberfrom moving a substantial distance in a vertical direction.

6. A valve-actuating trigger attachment according to claim 3 in whichthe cover member is dome-shaped and in which said cover has a firstdepression therein surrounding said opening through which the nozzle maydischarge and a second depression therein surrounding said open ingthrough which said trigger extends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 710,674 Fassmann Oct. 7, 1902 2,330,176 Kahn Sept. 21, 19432,376,404 Thoms May 22, 1945 2,471,460 Stroop May 31, 1949 2,577,245Tuttle et a1. Dec. 4, 1951

